Future Stocking Model

On Christmas Eve, just before we left for church, Kaelyn put two Christmas stockings on her feet and said "maybe I could be a stocking model!" She will have to grow a little bit first -- the stockings were almost as big as she is!

Future Rock Stars

One of the gifts that my dad purchased for Kaelyn and Geoffrey was a ukulele. They were so excited! He actually came up with the idea and went out and bought them by himself (my mom usually does all of the Christmas shopping for the kids), so this was a very special gift. My dad plays the guitar and is really quite good and he is going to teach Kaelyn and Geoffrey how to play, too. They are so excited! If I'm lucky, I might just have a future rock star in the family!

Christmas 2010

We hope all of your holidays were great and that Santa brought you everything you asked for and wanted!

We had a fantastic Christmas! This year, Gretchen was really excited about opening presents and playing with new toys. She still does not quite understand the concept of Santa, but over the next couple of years, she will be just as excited as Kaelyn throughout the month of December. It was really fun watching Kaelyn and Gretchen opening Sophie's gifts for her and showing them to her -- she really did not get excited about anything and mostly slept through Christmas morning!

As usual, our kids were very lucky and very spoiled by grandparents, parents, and, of course, Santa.

Here are just a few photos of Christmas morning at our house:

Sophie Makes a Statement

I found this outfit on clearance at Babies R Us and had to get it for Sophie. I love the little Santa faces on her feet and the statement on her onsie is absolutely true! Plus, she looks super cute!

Three Little Angels

We received this Christmas card in the mail today from Grandma Trzynka. I think it is absolutely darling! I immediately thought about my three little angles -- Kaelyn and Sophie being perfect angles, doing exactly what they are supposed to do and Gretchen being the ornery angel on the end with her eyes open, crooked halo, and toes sticking out under her robe. She is definitely my ornery "angel", but I wouldn't want her any other way!

Sophie is Four Months Old!

Sophie Madeline is four months old today! I cannot believe how fast the time has gone. She is getting so big so fast! Here's what Sophie is up to these days:

• She weighs between 10 and 12 pounds.
• She wears size 3 to 6 month clothes.
  
• She wears size 2 diapers.
• She eats every five to six hours like clockwork. She usually takes between five and six ounces at every feeding. She is an eater! Her sisters did not start taking six ounces before they were six or seven months old!
• She has started eating rice cereal. She loves it! She is slowly getting the hang of opening her mouth wide enough for the spoon.
  
• She sleeps between 18 and 20 hours a day. However, she often has a little trouble sleeping due to the noise level created by her sisters!
• She really wants to suck her thumb. She works and works to get her thumb in her mouth but she just does not have the coordination yet. She will take a pacifier, but I am sure that when she is able to get her thumb, her pacifier days will be a thing of the past!
  
• She is sleeping through the night on a consistent basis. Hooray!
• She does not enjoy tummy time. If we put her on her tummy, she cries and squirms until someone picks her up.
  
• She is a very smiley baby. She smiles all the time! She especially smiles when people talk to her.
  
• She coos and makes noises all of the time. We think she is trying to be heard over her sisters!
  
• She loves when people talk to her, especially mommy and daddy. She locks eyes and really pays attention when we talk to her. Sometimes she acts like she has something to say and moves her mouth like she is really trying to talk.
• She loves her bath. She really relaxes and enjoys getting clean. She is a girl after my own heart!
• She is still sleeping in the bassinet in mommy and daddy's room.
• She loves her big sisters -- even Gretchen who is constantly trying to sit or lay on her!
• She loves the car seat and stroller. She loves to be out and about!
  
• She is very spoiled! She loves to be held and we love holding her. If I had it my way, I would hold her 24 hours a day, seven days a week!
• She loves the swing. She will always go to sleep in the swing.
• She likes the bouncy chair. She has figured out that if she kicks her feet, she can make the music and lights work. She is brilliant!
  
• She is very sweet and very quiet. She really only makes any noise or cries when she is hungry or if she has messy pants.

That's what Sophie is up to these days. She has been such an amazing addition to our family. We can't wait to see what she is up to next month!

Sophie Gets a Stocking

I ordered a stocking for Sophie from Land's End a few days ago and it came today! It is so cute! It is exactly the same as her sisters' stockings so that there won't be any arguing later. I hung it up as soon as I opened the box -- now our mantle (and family) is complete!

Breakfast with Santa

This morning, Brian and I took the girls to have breakfast with Santa. Kaelyn was so excited! The line to talk with Santa was very long, but the girls were so patient. Kaelyn was the only one who really talked with Santa, but Gretchen wasn't shy about sitting on his lap. Of course, Sophie spit up on her dress right before we put her on Santa's lap. Fortunately, you really can't see the mess in the picture! This picture turned out so cute -- I see a Christmas card in our future! I also see breakfast with Santa becoming a yearly treat for the girls!

Book Review -- The Thirteenth Tale by Diane Setterfield

This review contains a synopsis of the story and may contain spoilers!

Beloved British author, Vida Winter, contacts Margaret Lea and asks her to write her biography. Margaret reluctantly agrees, and goes to live with Ms. Winter. Vida Winter is very old and very sick -- she wants to tell her story before she dies. Margaret sits with Ms. Winter every afternoon, listens to her stories, and takes notes. Ms. Winter begins her tale with her grandparents. Her grandmother died in childbirth with her second child, Isabelle. Following her death, her grandfather goes into a severe depression, locking himself in the library and refusing to eat, sleep, wash, or take care of his children -- including son Charlie. Eventually, the housekeeper, The Missus, brings Isabelle to her father. He immediately falls in love with the child and spoils her mercilessly. Isabelle and Charlie grow up wild and undisciplined -- eventually entering into an incestuous relationship. Eventually, Isabelle falls in love with and marries Roland March. She gives birth to twin daughters, Adeline and Emmeline, and returns home to Angelfield upon the death of Roland. After her return, Isabelle and Charlie return to their odd relationship and the girls are left to the care of The Missus. Adeline and Emmeline grow up wild and undisciplined, just like Charlie and Isabelle. Additionally, the girls are unable to speak -- except with each other -- or communicate with others. Eventually, The Missus contacts the town doctor, who hires a governess, Hester, to teach and raise the girls. Hester finds her job very difficult. She has an easier time with Emmeline, but is unable to make progress with Adeline. Prior to her employment at Angelfield, the doctor has Isabelle committed to a sanitarium where she eventually dies. With Isabelle gone, Charlie retreats to the old nursery and is rarely seen or heard. Soon after her arrival, Hester and the doctor decide to try an experiment and separate the twins. Initially, both girls are devastated, but Emmeline eventually comes around and begins to make improvements. However, Hester and the doctor fall in love and Hester is forced to leave. As such, the girls are left to the care of The Missus and John-the-Dig. However, they are elderly and the girls are left mostly to their own devices. John hires a boy to help with household chores. He falls in love with Emmeline and she eventually becomes pregnant. She gives birth to a boy who is eventually left on the doorstep of a neighbor who raises him. The baby is taken to the neighbor because Adeline is jealous of him and his relationship with Emmeline. Adeline decides to place him in the fireplace and kill him. He is, of course, rescued, but Angelfield is burned and virtually destroyed. Adeline and Emmeline are both injured in the fire. At this point in the story, we find out that Ms. Winter is actually a cousin of the girls (Charlie is her father), and she has been living secretly in the house. She is the one who saves the baby. She also takes over Adeline's identity after she is killed in the fire. Emmeline survives the fire and is living in a house on Ms. Winter's property. She is very ill and, towards the end of the story, dies with Ms. Winter and Margaret by her side. Throughout the story, Margaret is dealing with her own reality that she was born a conjoined twin. Following surgery to separate the babies, her twin dies. As such, Margaret's relationship with her mother has always been strained. She is much closer with her father and works with him in his bookshop. In the end, Ms. Winter dies with Margaret by her side. Margaret decides not to publish Ms. Winter's story. leaving it, instead, to the Angelfield heirs -- Emmeline's son and half-sister -- to publish if they decide to do so.

This was a fascinating story! There were many twists and turns that were extremely unexpected. The plot twists are not predictable at all! The first chapter is very boring, but, with the following chapters, the story picks up and is a real page turner. I couldn't put it down! I loved it!

Wordless Wednesday